The great topic of the hour is the conflict raging between the principal actors in the conspiracy of two yours ago. Paul Dérow'éle, evidently tired of int activity and especially of obscurity, recently wsemiled a sluice few of his adherents ay San Sebsstian and told them that his coup d'état was foiled by the Royalists. An emissary of the Duke of Orleans, he said, came 16 him on the night before President Felix Faure's funeral and ask d him what he would do if the Duke made his appearance in Paris, M.Dérouléde who did not quite see the use of pulling the chestnuts vut of the fire for the Royalists, ropilied that he would arrest the Duke with his own hand, Thereupon the emissary xetired, and on the following morning M. Dérouléde found that the military arcunyements had been changed and that all his own plans were spoiled. Nevertheless he made the attempt, but failed. Instead of General de Pelliux, who way ripe for a revolution, M. Dérouléde cane into contact with General Roger. That officer was mot in the secret and" consequently arrested M. Déroultde instead of natching to the Elysee with his troops. M. Buffet, the Royalist. agent, who is liv ing in banishment at Brussels, at once took up the cudgels and declared that M. Déroulade's "version was incorrect. Déroulide replied with a challenge to a duel, as M. Buffet did not jump at the id the fiery Paul delibi stigmatived Mf, Buffet as a" roy After this all the fat was in the fire—if homely an expression may be permitted in connection with such grave events; M. Buffet named his seconds, M. Déroulade bought his ticket to Geneva, and the fight is to come off next week in Swiss territory, near Lugano, The dispute is instructive and even valuable. "It shows whet the country might have had to put up with if the con had succeeded. Plotters who blurt out everything as soon ay their interests would make very poor rulers, and are asking themselves' what become of the national peace ani prosperity if persons of the Déroulide, Buffet, or Jules Guérin typo had the divid. sug of the spoils.
THE PROGHESS OF PROTECTION, There is no satisfying the French mann facturer's thirst for protection at. the expense of the public in general. The test instance is a Bill, now before the Chamber of Deputies, whereby it ix proposed te double the duty on British and other imported beer. This is not means the first time that efforts havi been ade to give the French brewers an over-who ning advantage over their coi ors.—Statistics prepared by Mr. J.
Colclonzh, Secretary of the British Chamber of Commerce in Pari during the last. th been increased four times and now stands at nine franes per 100 kilos, as compared with three frances in 1871. Additional advantages have at the same time been secured to the French brewers by decreasing the excise duty from 34.75 to 1f.37e. The outcome of these protective measures has been a steady increase in the French output and a corresponding reduction in the imports of British beer, which in 1899 were little more than half the amount recorded in 1882. Yet the French brewer is not satisfied, and he is now asking for what amounts to the annihilation of foreign competition. The principal arguments adduced against the Bill are that it would extinguish a source of Customs revenue and probably react on French agriculture,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.